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Louise Thomas
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Emily Atack has reflected on being considered the “sexiest woman in Britain” throughout her career, saying it made men angry.
The 34-year-old actor starred as Charlotte “Big Jugs” Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners from 2008 to 2010. Atack is now starring as Sarah Stratton in the forthcoming adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s book Rivals. Her character lures a Tory MP out of his marriage and then proceeds to cheat on him constantly.
Throughout her career Atack says she has found herself “playing very similar roles” which she describes as “the bit of totty.”
However, the success came with both praise and backlash, she told The Guardian. Throughout the 2010s, the actor graced the cover of many men’s magazines including FHM and Loaded. Her dating life was subject to scrutiny and any pictures with male celebrities led to ”untoward” speculation there was something romantic going on.
“It’s anger towards women,” Atack said of the criticism. “Men are so angry with sexy women. It’s like, ‘We’ll give you a little bit of power, but not too much. Here, you look nice on this front cover, but also, you’re a fat, ugly pig.’”
She added that the combination of love and hate left her “confused”, as she enjoyed embracing her body, youth, and sexuality.
“I didn’t have a clue,” she continued. “I was told, ‘You’ve got a photoshoot today’ and it would be for Loaded magazine, or for FHM to promote series two of The Inbetweeners. So I was all, ‘Yep, clothes off, bikini on. Whatever.’ Genuinely, I had no problems with that – I enjoyed those shoots.
“I was celebrating my youth and my sexuality in beautiful locations, wearing gorgeous underwear, with lovely crews of people and photographers, and I fucking loved it. It was great. I naively didn’t think what narrative was being painted for me.”
Despite her popularity in the UK, Atack also revealed that the American TV industry was less enthusiastic.
She says she was promised “‘This is going to be the film that will change your life forever, that will send you to Hollywood’.”
However she says she was turned away on account of her body type.
“I remember I went to one meeting and she said to me: we’re not even going to think about seeing you again until you’re a size two [the UK equivalent of a size six]. I was so thin, and I was so hungry, and it wasn’t good enough. So I thought, ‘I need to go home and have a cheeseburger.’”
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